Friday, December 9, 2016

From my collection.Bought in 2010.First listen: CD, 26: 18-4-2013, Second listen: 6-12-2016.First listen: CD 27: 23-4-2013. Second listen: 6-12-2016.First listen: CD 28: 26-4-2013. Second listen: 9-12-2016.Label: DECCA.CD 26/27/28/ from 35.Recording dates: Les Patineurs (January 1973. The Sleeping beauty (March 1977)Recording venues: Kingsway Hall, London England.Recording engineers: Michael Woolcock: Les Patineurs. Richard Beswick: The Sleeping Beauty)Running time: 73:37-69:48-52:51.Classical relevance: Essential for all ballet admirers.Works performed:See heading.Les Patineurs is an arr by Constant Lambert.Performed by:National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge.We all know the music belonging to The sleeping beauty, a masterwork by Tchaikovsky. We are less informed about Meyerbeer's "Les Patineurs". also ballet music of a high level, short granted, but powerful nevertheless and an unmissable piece in the repertoire.We get fine performances with all the nuances we could wish for, ballet music pur sang, performed by an orchestra and conductor that have been the reference in these matters for a long time and will be long after my life will be ended. There is absolutely no doubt about this. Bonynge's name stood for ballet music, he was the sole representative of the genre and his recording label knew this well. Not for nothing has he recorded so much music in this genre. His live performances and recordings have always been a great success even to this day. The man is still alive and for me a living icon.As to the recordings...they are excellent, but in the sleeping beauty I missed details that were a bit cluttered, not much but enough to miss a few things. I did not know the engineer Richard Beswick, and although the recording is almost faultless, his experience did not reach that far that he got the ultimate out of the Kingsway Hall. Les Patineurs recorded by Michael Woolcock, also unknown to me, is a picture of clarity.